"Simon Woodroffe Simon Woodroffe OBE (born 14 February 1952) is an English motivational speaker and entrepreneur. He started the sushi chain YO! Sushi in 1997, and appeared as a ""Dragon"" on the first UK series of Dragons' Den. Woodroffe conceived and launched YO! Sushi after an early spell in television. The business established conveyor belt sushi bars featuring call buttons, robot drinks trolleys, Japanese TV, self heating plates and other such novelties. He currently speaks around the world at corporate and promotional events, and has appeared on stage at the Edinburgh Festival to discuss his YO! ventures including YO! Company."
"YO! Sushi YO! Sushi is a company that owns, operates, and franchises conveyor belt sushi restaurants, principally in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. YO! Sushi was founded in 1997, by British entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe. The current owner is Mayfair Equity Partners and members of the YO! Sushi Senior Management team. YO! Sushi opened its first restaurant in Soho, London in January 1997. A second restaurant followed opening in Harvey Nichols. In 2000, Robin Rowland became CEO, and in 2002, YO! Sushi opened their first restaurant outside London, in Manchester's Selfridges. By 2003, the company"
"Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, and Whole Foods Market. They can also be bought online. In January 2014, Itsu became the Official Partner of the Volleyball England Beach Tour. Itsu Itsu is a British chain of Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants, and a grocery company. The chain was founded by Julian Metcalfe, co-founder of sandwich chain Pret a Manger and founder of Metcalfe's Food Company, in partnership with Clive Schlee. The first Itsu store opened in Chelsea, London in 1997. As of November 2016 Itsu has 70 stores throughout England. In 2018, Itsu had more than 90 stores in England, including"
"that in fact those three companies had provided only very limited sponsorship for the business: some cheap televisions and a motorcycle. In September 2003, Woodroffe sold his controlling interest in YO! Sushi in a £10m deal, backed by private equity firm Primary Capital. Woodroffe retained a 22% stake and continued working as a business entrepreneur, also taking time to present TV programmes. Primary Capital has since sold YO! Sushi. Woodroffe has sold his remaining stake, but is entitled to a royalty of 1% of gross sales in perpetuity. In 2008, Woodroffe diversified his business portfolio by launching the YOTEL brand"
"in Leeds. In 2017, Julian Metcalfe confirmed his plans to launch its first restaurant in New York in July 2018. In March 2012, Metcalfe's Food Company, run by Robert Jakobi, launched the Itsu brand into retail under the name Itsu [grocery]. As of September 2013, the brand was worth £12 million. By the next month, Itsu groceries were selling 16 different products, including soups and noodles (including miso soup cups and noodle pots); snacks (including chocolate-covered edamame and rice cakes); sauces (including hoisin and teriyaki variants); and drinks. The Itsu [grocery] products are sold throughout the UK in places like"
"Wight. Sam's Chicken Sam's Chicken is a British fast food chain. It has 34 outlets, the majority of which are in west and north west London. It was founded in 1990 by Sri Lankan Sam Chandrasinghe, with the opening of its first restaurant in Wealdstone, Harrow, north west London. Chandrasinghe had previously worked for KFC UK as deputy operations director. Sam's Chicken's food is produced with 100% rapeseed oil, meaning healthier fast food, and its London stores were certified with the ‘Healthier Catering Commitment for London’. Their products are also halal certified. Sam's Chicken pioneered the two burgers for £2"
"Giraffe World Kitchen Giraffe World Kitchen is a United Kingdom restaurant and cafe chain, founded in Hampstead as Giraffe Restaurants in 1998 by Juliette Joffe, Russel Joffe and Andrew Jacobs. Giraffe was owned by its founders, with additional financial backing from private shareholders, 3i investment group and chairman Luke Johnson. 3i invested £10 million in the company in October 2006, in a deal that valued the chain at £24 million. On 13 March 2013, it was announced that the chain was to be acquired by Tesco for £48.6m. As part of the acquisition, 3i and Risk Capital Partners sold their"
"Poole and Swindon. It was further announced in March 2016 another seven restaurants would close, including those in York, Martlesham, Bournemouth and Sutton. After selling Giraffe, Tesco announced the closure of all branches located within their stores. In September 2016, the company introduced a new brand, Giraffe World Kitchen, beginning with its Basingstoke branch. Giraffe World Kitchen Giraffe World Kitchen is a United Kingdom restaurant and cafe chain, founded in Hampstead as Giraffe Restaurants in 1998 by Juliette Joffe, Russel Joffe and Andrew Jacobs. Giraffe was owned by its founders, with additional financial backing from private shareholders, 3i investment group"
"store movement, and has published a book, ""Eat Good Food"" (Ten Speed Press). Whole Foods Market has sent staff to the store to adopt practices from there. The store opened a second location, in the Divisadero Street Commercial District, in the Western Addition neighborhood, in 2013. Bi-Rite Market Bi-Rite Market is a grocery store in San Francisco, California, owned and operated by chef Sam Mogannam, who had previously worked at Jardinière in the city. He and his brother Raphael took over the grocery store from his family in 1997, and began to sell prepared foods using locally grown produce, which"
"opened branches in Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire. On 16 June 2016 the shop's most southerly branch opened in Truro, Cornwall. In 1981, counter service was introduced for fresh meat, fish and cheese, and in 1983, Waitrose became the first major supermarket chain to sell organic food. Since 2000, Waitrose has continued its expansion, including purchasing shops from Somerfield, Morrisons, Woolworths, The Co-operative Group and Sandpiper CI, a move which saw the chain move into northern England and Scotland for the first time. In 2009 the firm signed a deal with Alliance Boots which allowed Boots to operate branded pharmacies"
"he first met his later business partner, Sinclair Beecham. Metcalfe founded Pret a Manger, the popular sandwich shop with college friend Sinclair Beecham in 1986. Metcalfe founded itsu in 1997. Metcalfe founded Metcalfe's Food Company in 2008. It sells Asian inspired food under the brand name itsu and a range of snack food under the brand name Metcalfe’s skinny. Metcalfe's skinny snack food Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn is a popular brand of popcorn in the United Kingdom. In 2016 Metcalfe sold his interests in Metcalfes Skinny in full to Kettle Chips Owner Snyder's-Lance. Already a Member of the Order of the"
"Sam's Chicken Sam's Chicken is a British fast food chain. It has 34 outlets, the majority of which are in west and north west London. It was founded in 1990 by Sri Lankan Sam Chandrasinghe, with the opening of its first restaurant in Wealdstone, Harrow, north west London. Chandrasinghe had previously worked for KFC UK as deputy operations director. Sam's Chicken's food is produced with 100% rapeseed oil, meaning healthier fast food, and its London stores were certified with the ‘Healthier Catering Commitment for London’. Their products are also halal certified. Sam's Chicken pioneered the two burgers for £2 deal,"
"1991. By 1995, the menu had expanded to include turkey, ribs, and various side dishes. The chain eventually grew to over 350 restaurants, including locations in Canada, the Middle East and Asia. The establishment became so well known an entire episode of ""Seinfeld"" (""The Chicken Roaster"") was dedicated to Kramer's love of Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken which started after he and Jerry Seinfeld switched apartments due to a bright red neon light shining through Kramer's window so he could not sleep. Roasters found itself in competition with Boston Chicken (later Boston Market) and several smaller roasted chicken chains. Kentucky Fried"
"after coffee-loving characters in Samuel Pepys' diary. Tesco took full ownership of the business from its founders Nick, Andrew and Laura Tolley in February 2016, and agreed in June 2016 to sell it to Caffè Nero. Giraffe is a restaurant chain in the United Kingdom which Tesco purchased in March 2013 as part of a strategy of making use of excess space in its shops. Tesco sold the chain to Boparan Holdings in June 2016. Euphorium Bakery opened a concession in Tesco's Kensington shop in 2012, and in 2013 Tesco bought a stake in the business. It purchased the remaining"
"Rainbow Foods Rainbow Foods was a supermarket chain in Minnesota. Founded in 1983, it operated more than 40 stores across the state at its peak and was the second-largest grocery store chain in the Twin Cities, behind Cub Foods. However, the arrival of other grocery stores in the market, such as Aldi and Hy-Vee in the 2000s and 2010s caused the grocery store chain to shrink to 27 locations by May 2014. Soon after, nine more closed and eighteen were sold by then-owner Roundy's; only six of these kept the Rainbow name. The company was founded by Sid Applebaum and"
"food retailing chain, whilst retaining a separate management structure. London Colney SavaCentre, off Junction 22 of the M25 motorway in Hertfordshire, opened on 13 March 1990 with of sales area, and at the time of its opening it also became the largest hypermarket in the UK. The London Colney hypermarket was so large that two-thirds of the sales space was devoted to non-food. This store was later split up, with Sainsbury's taking of the sales area. The balance was sold off to Marks & Spencer, and the store was then re-branded as ""Sainsbury's M&S"" in 2005. The SavaCentre in Meadowhall"
"Growth Fund to expand to a number of different locations, including locations in London which would become the chain's first stores outside the North West. In June 2013, the chain opened two stores in London at Paddington Station and Cowcross Street. Barburrito Barburrito is a British chain of Mexican style fast food restaurants, focusing primarily on burritos. As of 2019, the chain operates twenty one stores across eleven towns and cities in the United Kingdom, growing from 14 stores across eight towns and cities in June 2016. Barburrito was founded by Morgan Davies and Paul Kilpatrick in 2005, with its"
"by 1998 the chain expanded to 10 locations in British Columbia and Alberta. In 2005, Jaffray bought out Morison's interest in the business; the owners of Earls, the Fuller family, holds minority ownership. Morison has gone on to establish Browns Socialhouse, a chain of Vancouver restaurants. By 2008, the chain had 19 locations in British Columbia and Alberta. That year, the chain took on Rob Feenie (the first Canadian to win ""Iron Chef America"") as its executive chef and ""food concept architect"". Dishes created by Feenie are indicated on the restaurant's menus with ""RF"". By the chain's 25th year in"
"(US owned fast food franchise, currently the largest in the world), Cook (UK frozen ready meal supplier), Peacocks (UK ""value"" fashion retailer), and Lloyds Pharmacy (UK pharmacy chain). Through its 20 year partnership with Waitrose, It has recently introduced Home from Waitose into both of its Douglas store along with a Waitrose Mini Baby and Child clothing range. Shoprite (Isle of Man) Shoprite (Isle of Man) Limited (trading as Shoprite) is a community food store chain in the Isle of Man. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Isle of Man Enterprises plc (formerly Shoprite Group plc). Shoprite currently owns"
"cheese and Niloufer's Panir (which is named for chef Niloufer Ichaporia King). The company was started in 1994. In addition to its San Francisco store and Sidekick Cafe, the original creamery in Point Reyes Station includes a store and cantina, and a storefront in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. (where founders Sue Conley and Peggy Smith are from) was open from 2006 to 2013. On May 17, 2016, the company announced that they had been acquired by the publicly traded Swiss dairy company Emmi AG. Cowgirl Creamery was referenced in episode 6.1 of the popular TV sitcom Will"
"the Scalzo brothers' controlling stake in the company. At the time of the acquisition, Luke Johnson said: The chain has expanded rapidly since 2006, growing from eight shops in 2006 to 192 as of May 2017. It opened its first shop in the Republic of Ireland in 2017, in Debenhams in Blanchardstown Centre. A selection of their cakes are now available in many Sainsbury's stores, also there is the option to buy online and collect personalised and unstocked items in-store. In April 2014 the company announced plans to raise £33m on the London Alternative Investment Market, using the sum to"
"Market (OHIM) ruling that Supermac could trade under its own name in the EU, but it rejected Supermac's trademark applications for several items, including menu items. It said that consumers could ""be confused as to whether Supermac’s is a new version of McDonald’s"", given the almost identical products sold by both chains. Supermac's has donated money to charities such as Trocaire and to local charities including Alan Kerrins African Projects. It has also hosted charity events in its outlets such as Today FM’s Shave or Dye. Supermac's Supermac's is an Irish fast food restaurant chain first opened in 1978. The"
"3 years. As of December 2014, Metcalfe's Food Company were the fastest-growing, privately-owned food and drink company in the UK. In January 2016 Diamond Foods acquired a minority stake in Metcalfe’s skinny. The investment will help to maximise the growth potential of the brand in the UK and Europe. In September 2016 the new owner of Kettle Foods Snyder's-Lance, Inc. acquired the remainder of the business. In April 2017 Jakobi launched BOU, a range of better-for-you bouillon cubes into the US market. AccelFoods, an investment fund focused on food and beverage startups, are the lead investor. In December 2013, Metcalfe's"
"with rival grocery chains. The company announced that 3 Waldbaum's stores in Carle Place, Riverhead, and Oceanside were set to close. Nineteen stores were sold to Stop & Shop and Key Food. Five store locations were purchased by Best Yet Market in November 2015, and three locations to Wakefern Food Corporation, owner of the ShopRite Food chain. At approximately 8:15a.m. on August 2, 1978, a fire was reported at the store in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Workers who were in the store during renovations reported a fire near the compressor room. After several more calls, including a nearby pulled street box,"
"major setback after it expanded into the North of England with five outlets in Nottingham, York, Manchester, Harrogate and Leeds. These sites all made profit losses in their first six months of operation, which triggered the company's first profit warning. In 1999, the chain first entered the Scottish market, with an outlet in Glasgow. Meanwhile, the company board was criticised for a lack of dynamism and being too slow to expand its number of outlets. The chain launched a website in February 2000. All Slug and Lettuce outlets serve food throughout the day, and the meals are English inspired, with"
"Bonefish Grill offers alternate menus such as a gluten free option, Spanish, and braille menus. They are also able to aid in any allergy concern. Alec Baldwin did a series of high-profile radio ads for Bonefish Grill in 2009–2011. Bonefish Grill Bonefish Grill is an American casual dining seafood restaurant chain owned and operated by Bloomin' Brands, headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The company was founded on January 15, 2000, in St. Petersburg, Florida, by Tim Curci and Chris Parker. Bloomin' Brands acquired Bonefish Grill on October 5, 2001. At the time, the chain had only three locations. In 2006, Bonefish"
"July 20, 2015, at the age of 80. A month before his death, the brand was sold to Janie and Stephen Schaffer, who had founded the high street chain Knickerbox together in 1986. Following an on-line Fiorucci launch and campaign featuring Georgia May Jagger, a 5,000 sq ft destination store opened on Brewer Street in London's Soho in September 2017 during London Fashion Week. The launch party saw the Theo Adams Company transform L’Escargot, London’s oldest French restaurant, into a world of disco, hedonism and horror, and was described by WWD as ""the kind of party that many brands would"
"Simon David Until its closing in 2010, Simon David was the oldest gourmet and specialty foods store in Dallas, Texas. Simon David was a long-time specialty retail brand and division of Tom Thumb Supermarkets. Tom Thumb became a division of Randalls in 1992, which itself became a 112-store division of Safeway Inc. in 1999. Named for its founder, Simon David opened in 1889 as the first food retailer and deliverer in Dallas to specialize in out-of-season items and imported merchandise. Originally a small brick structure adjacent to Mr. David's home in Uptown Dallas' historic State Thomas neighborhood, the business expanded"
"Simon David Until its closing in 2010, Simon David was the oldest gourmet and specialty foods store in Dallas, Texas. Simon David was a long-time specialty retail brand and division of Tom Thumb Supermarkets. Tom Thumb became a division of Randalls in 1992, which itself became a 112-store division of Safeway Inc. in 1999. Named for its founder, Simon David opened in 1889 as the first food retailer and deliverer in Dallas to specialize in out-of-season items and imported merchandise. Originally a small brick structure adjacent to Mr. David's home in Uptown Dallas' historic State Thomas neighborhood, the business expanded"
"WingStreet WingStreet is a restaurant chain specializing in chicken. The restaurant chain is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns its sister franchises Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC. As of March 2014, there are close to 5,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada. They are always co-located with Pizza Hut. In 2003, Yum! launched WingStreet as a hybrid combo unit with an existing Pizza Hut franchise. In 2007, Pizza Hut/WingStreet opened their 1,000th restaurant. In 2007 and 2008, a thousand WingStreet stores a year were opened. On October 19, 2009, Company president Steve Udovic publicized WingStreet's national launch. The"
"shops and 160 employees, was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership. In 1944, the partnership purchased the South Essex grocery business Schofield and Martin, which had 12 shops in its chain. Schofield and Martin's Southend High Street shop was converted into a self-service shop in 1951 becoming the first run by Waitrose. The Schofield and Martin name was used until the 1960s when the shops were rebranded Waitrose. In 1955, the chain opened its first Waitrose supermarket in Streatham, London and continued to expand throughout London and the South East of England during the 1960s. In the 1970s, Waitrose"
"estate company Ivanhoe (which absorbed Cambridge Shopping Centres Ltd in 2001 to become Ivanhoe Cambridge). His restaurant chain Pik-Nik, founded in 1966, lasted until the mid-2010s. Succession for the Steinberg's grocery chain was the subject of a 1974 National Film Board of Canada documentary by Arthur Hammond entitled ""After Mr. Sam"". Steinberg's (supermarket) Steinberg's (renamed Steinberg in 1961) was a large family-owned Canadian grocery store chain that mainly operated in the province of Quebec and later Ontario. In addition to its flagship supermarket chain, the company operated several subsidiaries across the country. The company went bankrupt in 1992, three years"
"Noodle Box Noodle Box Pty Ltd is an Australian stir fried noodle quick service restaurant chain headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia founded by Josh James and David Milne in 1996. Today Noodle Box is Australia’s largest franchised noodle restaurant chain. With a network of over 70 restaurants across the country. All of Noodle Box restaurants are franchised, with master franchise partners in the Middle East and Mauritius. This move towards franchising the brand was delivered under the strategic direction of current CEO, Ian Martin, previously the CFO of Yum! Restaurants in Asia, and Group CEO of Gloria Jeans Coffee. In"